Mrs. Letitia Maude Nawn

Born on January 16, 1924 in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, Letitia Maude was the daughter of John and Rebecca Taggart, and was one of six children to sisters Anne, Ruby, Elsie and brothers John and Tom to whom she would remain devoted all her long life. Her father farmed at Dernabane, near the town, and she grew up there very happily in a strong Christian home.

Maude excelled at Dungannon High School and after her father dissuaded her from following her initial ambition to nurse, she instead enrolled at Stranmillis College which during the Second World War had moved to Portrush, and where she would make many happy family holiday returns.

Her links with Lisbellaw began in 1944 when, fresh from graduating, she joined the teaching staff at the local primary school as maternity cover for Mrs. Gladys Pyne, with whom she was to forge even closer links! After some months there, Maude was then appointed to the staff of Ballinamallard Primary School, and she stayed for a treasured time with the Edwards family.

But soon she was on the move again, joining the staff of Enniskillen Model Primary School and always expressed astonishment that she should have been recruited without so much as an interview!

Now firmly established in Fermanagh, she met Bobbie Nawn of the respected Lisbellaw business family, a brother of Gladys Pyne whose pregnancy had given her a first teaching opportunity! The couple married in August, 1948, and Maude quickly involved herself in the life of the village and, with her new husband, kept in regular contact with her family in Tyrone!

In 1950, and after five very happy years at the Model School, Maude took a break from teaching to bring up her three children, Rod (or Roderick as she preferred) born in 1950, Helen and Anthea a few years later.

She was, in her own words ‘tempted back to the chalk and blackboard’ when the principalship of the small primary school at Tamlaght became vacant in the mid-1950s. For 13 years, in spartan but welcoming conditions, she presided over the early education of youngsters all of whom appeared to hold her in genuine affection, while parents entrusted their children to her caring teaching style with total confidence.

Tamlaght’s pupils and its head teacher were eventually transferred to Lisbellaw Primary School, where Maude Nawn would become a highly-regarded Vice-Principal, a loyal friend and encouraging colleague to other staff, and in 1976 she was delighted that a new school was built at Cloughcor to replace the collection of halls and rooms being used on the Main Street.

Maude spent nine very fulfilling years there, and retired in 1985 so she could care for Bobbie.

And perhaps the most warm signal of just how Mrs Nawn and Lisbellaw Primary School were so joined together in the community’s consciousness was that it was she that the current Principal, Mrs Logan, should invite to officially open the latest new Lisbellaw Primary School in 2010. Her devotion to education, to the all-round development of young people, was never so eloquently acknowledged.

As a wife she had been Bobbie’s great ‘rock’ and inspiration as his electrical contracting business grew, and if she never could truly match his passion for cruising on Lough Erne she was supportive of him and their three growing children, each of whom were carving out professional and personal lives of their own.

Bobbie and Maude loved their weekend drives into the countryside, around the lakes of heir beloved Fermanagh, and to the sea, very frequently to Donegal. They enjoyed their visits to the Taggart and Cuddy families in Tyrone, while holidays inevitably saw the pair driving the length of Ireland to look up familiar places, family and friends in the West, particularly in County Cork where all the Nawn and Pyne families spent many happy summers.

Bobbie died in August 2003, at the age of 82, after a long and ultimately debilitating illness, Maude a constant by his side, in hospital, at home or in a nursing home, uncomplaining and – typically – selfless in caring for a husband with whom she would eventually spend nearly 55 years of marriage. She devoted herself to him, and they each took their greatest pleasure in the lives of their grandchildren – Helen and Arthur Stuart’s’ daughter Amy and son Matthew, and Anthea’s daughters Sarah and Rachael.

They would expand their brood when Rod’s marriage to Rosalind brought four newcomer grandchildren instantly into the family circle in 1998, and Clea, Warren, Jade and Brett were embraced fully by a generous and loving Maude, someone who never forgot a family or friend’s birthday. Her capacity for the detail of others’ lives was just one indicator of a nature which always put the welfare and happiness of her family, friends and community first.

At the core of her life was her strong but quiet Christian faith, and she immersed herself in the life of her church here and the wider community. Indeed, she would create a little local history as the first woman to serve on the Select Vestry, and she was the confidant and eager help to the clergy for whom she had so much regard.

Maude was a member of the Church choir, a Sunday School teacher and superintendent, and she would become a founder member in 1952 of Lisbellaw Mothers’ Union. She would also hold office in the Womens’ Institute for many years, being honoured with Honorary Membership for 50 years of service. To both those organisations she was a regular and enthusiastic attender, greatly helped by a legion of good friends who were more than delighted to transport her to meetings and outings. Her gratitude to them – some of them her former pupils! – never waned, and the respect in which she was held spanned several generations.

The Guiding movement was a very important part of Maude’s life, both in her youth and later life. She served in many capacities at home in Tyrone and in her life in Fermanagh, assisting with Brownies and becoming a Guide Leader. Latterly, the meetings of the Trefoil Guild, which maintains social and practical contact between former Guides and the current movement, were monthly social gatherings she attended with great enthusiasm and conviction. Guiding, and the moral compass it provided, was a natural home for Maude.

An avid reader, a keen correspondent, and a stickler for good grammar and language, Maude’s network of friends was vast, her well of wisdom and experience always available to all.

Though her sight and hearing failed in recent years, her mind was as alert and keen to expand its knowledge as always. She loved living in the bungalow in the village she and Bobbie had hoped to spend their retirement in together for longer, but as a widow she continued to throw herself energetically into new projects.

The Wednesday Club filled another gap in an otherwise busy calendar, but it was her friends who demonstrated their affection so tangibly, and her growing family – now with great-grandchildren to enjoy – who brought her the contentment and joy which her daughters Helen and Anthea nourished and cherished.

Helen and Arthur’s home near Ballinamallard was ever-welcoming, and she relied upon them both so much and so gratefully in recent years in particular. Visits from Anthea and her daughters who’d made their lives in England, and from Rod, Rosalind and their children from the north coast, always lifted rarely-dampened spirits.

She was a woman so rooted in her faith that she did not have to shout it from a rooftop, rather she lived it in a life so full and unremittingly concerned for others.

As a mother she was a model, the mould of which is probably broken; as a wife she was loyal, loving and encouraging; and as a teacher she left an indelible impression on several generations.

It was perhaps appropriate that just three days after celebrating her 91st birthday with her family she should have been out with the Mothers’ Union for a meal at Florence Court last month when she was stricken with a chest infection and admitted to the South West Acute Hospital.

For five weeks she hoped she would soon return to her own home, but she had a constant stream of visitors, family and friends, and her always-sharp and eager mind never blunted until her passing.

Huge numbers attended a Service of Thanksgiving in Lisbellaw Parish Church on Sunday, for a life which had touched so many, and her daughter, Anthea and grandson, Matthew Stuart gave readings from the Scriptures, while Rod delivered a personal tribute on behalf of the family. Archdeacon Cecil Pringle conducted the service with great warmth, She is survived by her children, her grandchildren, and by her great grandchildren and a large family circle.

The funeral arrangements were undertaken by S.R..Elliott and Sons, Darling Street, Enniskillen.

The entire community of Lisbellaw, and indeed of Fermanagh and beyond, learned with sadness of the peaceful passing on Friday, February 20, of Mrs. Maude Nawn in the South West Acute Hospital, following a brief illness aged 91.

Born on January 16, 1924 in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, Letitia Maude was the daughter of John and Rebecca Taggart, and was one of six children to sisters Anne, Ruby, Elsie and brothers John and Tom to whom she would remain devoted all her long life. Her father farmed at Dernabane, near the town, and she grew up there very happily in a strong Christian home.

Maude excelled at Dungannon High School and after her father dissuaded her from following her initial ambition to nurse, she instead enrolled at Stranmillis College which during the Second World War had moved to Portrush, and where she would make many happy family holiday returns.

Her links with Lisbellaw began in 1944 when, fresh from graduating, she joined the teaching staff at the local primary school as maternity cover for Mrs. Gladys Pyne, with whom she was to forge even closer links! After some months there, Maude was then appointed to the staff of Ballinamallard Primary School, and she stayed for a treasured time with the Edwards family.

But soon she was on the move again, joining the staff of Enniskillen Model Primary School and always expressed astonishment that she should have been recruited without so much as an interview!

Now firmly established in Fermanagh, she met Bobbie Nawn of the respected Lisbellaw business family, a brother of Gladys Pyne whose pregnancy had given her a first teaching opportunity! The couple married in August, 1948, and Maude quickly involved herself in the life of the village and, with her new husband, kept in regular contact with her family in Tyrone!

In 1950, and after five very happy years at the Model School, Maude took a break from teaching to bring up her three children, Rod (or Roderick as she preferred) born in 1950, Helen and Anthea a few years later.

She was, in her own words ‘tempted back to the chalk and blackboard’ when the principalship of the small primary school at Tamlaght became vacant in the mid-1950s. For 13 years, in spartan but welcoming conditions, she presided over the early education of youngsters all of whom appeared to hold her in genuine affection, while parents entrusted their children to her caring teaching style with total confidence.

Tamlaght’s pupils and its head teacher were eventually transferred to Lisbellaw Primary School, where Maude Nawn would become a highly-regarded Vice-Principal, a loyal friend and encouraging colleague to other staff, and in 1976 she was delighted that a new school was built at Cloughcor to replace the collection of halls and rooms being used on the Main Street.

Maude spent nine very fulfilling years there, and retired in 1985 so she could care for Bobbie.

And perhaps the most warm signal of just how Mrs Nawn and Lisbellaw Primary School were so joined together in the community’s consciousness was that it was she that the current Principal, Mrs Logan, should invite to officially open the latest new Lisbellaw Primary School in 2010. Her devotion to education, to the all-round development of young people, was never so eloquently acknowledged.

As a wife she had been Bobbie’s great ‘rock’ and inspiration as his electrical contracting business grew, and if she never could truly match his passion for cruising on Lough Erne she was supportive of him and their three growing children, each of whom were carving out professional and personal lives of their own.

Bobbie and Maude loved their weekend drives into the countryside, around the lakes of heir beloved Fermanagh, and to the sea, very frequently to Donegal. They enjoyed their visits to the Taggart and Cuddy families in Tyrone, while holidays inevitably saw the pair driving the length of Ireland to look up familiar places, family and friends in the West, particularly in County Cork where all the Nawn and Pyne families spent many happy summers.

Bobbie died in August 2003, at the age of 82, after a long and ultimately debilitating illness, Maude a constant by his side, in hospital, at home or in a nursing home, uncomplaining and – typically – selfless in caring for a husband with whom she would eventually spend nearly 55 years of marriage. She devoted herself to him, and they each took their greatest pleasure in the lives of their grandchildren – Helen and Arthur Stuart’s’ daughter Amy and son Matthew, and Anthea’s daughters Sarah and Rachael.

They would expand their brood when Rod’s marriage to Rosalind brought four newcomer grandchildren instantly into the family circle in 1998, and Clea, Warren, Jade and Brett were embraced fully by a generous and loving Maude, someone who never forgot a family or friend’s birthday. Her capacity for the detail of others’ lives was just one indicator of a nature which always put the welfare and happiness of her family, friends and community first.

At the core of her life was her strong but quiet Christian faith, and she immersed herself in the life of her church here and the wider community. Indeed, she would create a little local history as the first woman to serve on the Select Vestry, and she was the confidant and eager help to the clergy for whom she had so much regard.

Maude was a member of the Church choir, a Sunday School teacher and superintendent, and she would become a founder member in 1952 of Lisbellaw Mothers’ Union. She would also hold office in the Womens’ Institute for many years, being honoured with Honorary Membership for 50 years of service. To both those organisations she was a regular and enthusiastic attender, greatly helped by a legion of good friends who were more than delighted to transport her to meetings and outings. Her gratitude to them – some of them her former pupils! – never waned, and the respect in which she was held spanned several generations.

The Guiding movement was a very important part of Maude’s life, both in her youth and later life. She served in many capacities at home in Tyrone and in her life in Fermanagh, assisting with Brownies and becoming a Guide Leader. Latterly, the meetings of the Trefoil Guild, which maintains social and practical contact between former Guides and the current movement, were monthly social gatherings she attended with great enthusiasm and conviction. Guiding, and the moral compass it provided, was a natural home for Maude.

An avid reader, a keen correspondent, and a stickler for good grammar and language, Maude’s network of friends was vast, her well of wisdom and experience always available to all.

Though her sight and hearing failed in recent years, her mind was as alert and keen to expand its knowledge as always. She loved living in the bungalow in the village she and Bobbie had hoped to spend their retirement in together for longer, but as a widow she continued to throw herself energetically into new projects.

The Wednesday Club filled another gap in an otherwise busy calendar, but it was her friends who demonstrated their affection so tangibly, and her growing family – now with great-grandchildren to enjoy – who brought her the contentment and joy which her daughters Helen and Anthea nourished and cherished.

Helen and Arthur’s home near Ballinamallard was ever-welcoming, and she relied upon them both so much and so gratefully in recent years in particular. Visits from Anthea and her daughters who’d made their lives in England, and from Rod, Rosalind and their children from the north coast, always lifted rarely-dampened spirits.

She was a woman so rooted in her faith that she did not have to shout it from a rooftop, rather she lived it in a life so full and unremittingly concerned for others.

As a mother she was a model, the mould of which is probably broken; as a wife she was loyal, loving and encouraging; and as a teacher she left an indelible impression on several generations.

It was perhaps appropriate that just three days after celebrating her 91st birthday with her family she should have been out with the Mothers’ Union for a meal at Florence Court last month when she was stricken with a chest infection and admitted to the South West Acute Hospital.

For five weeks she hoped she would soon return to her own home, but she had a constant stream of visitors, family and friends, and her always-sharp and eager mind never blunted until her passing.

Huge numbers attended a Service of Thanksgiving in Lisbellaw Parish Church on Sunday, for a life which had touched so many, and her daughter, Anthea and grandson, Matthew Stuart gave readings from the Scriptures, while Rod delivered a personal tribute on behalf of the family. Archdeacon Cecil Pringle conducted the service with great warmth, She is survived by her children, her grandchildren, and by her great grandchildren and a large family circle.

The funeral arrangements were undertaken by S.R..Elliott and Sons, Darling Street, Enniskillen.